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Introducing: Tim Totani

Tim Totani is a singer and songwriter from McAlester, Oklahoma. His style is in the country/rock tradition of Bob Seger and John Mellencamp, and his new EP Back Home was released just last month. We’d like to thank Mr. Totani for taking a few minutes to answer some questions for us here at Musebreak.

Musebreak: First of all, tell us a little about yourself. What is your musical background? How did you get started?

Tim Totani: I grew up around music from my mom singing to me as a little boy to watching the band play at church. But I didn’t get started playing until junior high school where my music director John Wilcox influenced my passion for playing the most.

MB: I’m assuming you play guitar. Do you play any other instruments? What models do you use, and what’s your favorite?

TT: I do play guitar, and I’ve played many instruments such as violin, cello, mandolin, bass, drums, and piano. Recently, piano is probably my favorite. I play a Taylor acoustic guitar.

MB: What is your process for writing a song? What comes first, the lyrics or the music?

TT: When writing a song the process varies. Some days I have lyrics that pop in my head first that I write music for, and other time the music comes first.

MB: I mentioned Seger and Mellencamp in the intro, which to my ear are the most stylistically similar acts to your work. What do you consider the most similar? What musicians do you go to for inspiration?

MB: How about non-music sources of inspiration? Who or what gets your “juices flowing”?

TT: I get a lot of inspiration from everyday life; from family, to work, to simpler times in a small town.

MB: So what’s life like for Tim Totani today? Tell us about what you’re doing as an up-and-coming recording artist.

TT: Everything is great. So many people notice me and compliment me on the release of my EP. The success has been such a humbling experience. I’m new to all the recent attention, and I’m soaking it up like a sponge and just preparing for live shows.

MB: You’re new EP Back Home has six original songs of yours. How large of a pool of possible songs did you have to pull these six from? How were they selected?

TT: I wrote these songs just for the EP. Now I have four others put aside for the full length album to be released sometime in the future.

MB: Are any of these songs particularly special to you? Which ones and why?

TT: I really can’t pick a favorite.

MB: What’s next for you? Tours? Albums?

TT: Gonna work in the studio on the full length and hopefully get some live shows lined up.

MB: Let’s step away from the microphone for a second. Do you have any big ideas artistically that you’d like to try, regardless of whether or not you could be successful doing them?

TT: Maybe television or movies possibly.

MB: What advice would you offer to some young person who is just getting started as a musician?

Patrick is a classically trained French hornist and professional jack-of-all-trades. In a quixotic attempt to become a writer, he has started a blog re-evaluating classic movies for contemporary audiences which he calls Step Back Cinema.

He has a staggering variety of music available for him to listen to at all times, which he feels reflects his slightly confused yet insightful view on the world. These views will inform his articles for Musebreak, so read them at your own risk.

Patrick also really enjoys referring to himself in the third person. He really does.